Angela Cassell, CCPA, is a Canadian Distance Learning Program (DLP) student who will be graduating in December from UNMC with an MPAS with a concentration in Family Medicine. She received the Tom Ashman PA of the year award at the annual Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) recently held in Montreal.
Originally from New Brunswick, Angela joined the military as a medical assistant in 1986. After many different courses, postings and tours she went on to complete the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) accredited Physician Assistant (PA) program through the Canadian Forces and graduated in 2006. Upon successful completion of the PA program in 2008 Angela worked as an instructor and course director of the PA program while still trying to maintain clinical skills working shifts in a local emergency department. She has been involved in CAPA since graduation; most notably as Chair of the Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC) test Committee as well as the Communications Director on the Board of Directors since October 2009. In February 2008 Angela retired from the military to accept a position in Family Medicine at Somerset West Community Health Care Centre in Ottawa as part of the Ontario demonstration project. She continues to work there today.
Tom Ashman, PA, MA, CCPA, CD, for whom the award was named, was visionary in developing the relationship between the Canadian Forces Military (CFM) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the signing of the MOU between the two granting PA graduates of the CFM a B.S. degree from UNMC.
Angela Cassell and Tom Ashman